CMS to Hold COP Preparatory Workshop for the African Region

Bonn, 28 September 2011
- With support from
Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and Birdlife International,
the CMS Secretariat will jointly organize with
UNEP’s Division of Environmental Law and
Conventions, a Preparatory Negotiation
Workshop to the Tenth CMS Conference
of the Parties (COP 10) for the Africa region from 26th-28th
October 2011 in Entebbe, Uganda. This will address
the need to enhance the capacity of CMS negotiators from
African countries and prepare the participants to negotiate
effectively at CMS COP10.

Priority in organizing a training event was given to Africa, which is a major hub for migratory species and where membership of the CMS and its instruments is among the highest, but where the capacity to implement the instruments could be further improved.  This event will provide an opportunity for CMS Parties in Africa to have an overview of the issues and priorities for the region to be discussed at COP 10 and thus provide an avenue for COP10 participants from the region to be well versed with issues, to discuss them beforehand and possibly to prepare common positions on topics of regional importance.

In addition, the workshop will also be used to further empower COP participants with the necessary negotiation techniques and skills to be utilized at the CMS Conference as well as at other environmental fora.  Several National Focal Point of the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement will also benefit from this training.  Furthermore, the workshop might serve as a mechanism to identify gaps and the need for further capacity building activities and follow-up measures.

Subject to availability of funds, capacity building activities are also planned to be organized in 2012 in Asia and Latin America to expand CMS’s capacity building strategy with a major focus on strengthening negotiation skills on a global scale.

 

Last updated on 16 June 2014